Actress Melissa Gilbert will be the keynote speaker at Tidewell Hospice’s 11t^{h a}nnual Signature Luncheon on February 20, 2020, at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. A children’s hospice advocate, Gilbert served as the president of the board of directors of the Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition (CHPCC) beginning in 2007; in 2015, CHPCC joined The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) to develop a united voice in public policy at the state and national level. Gilbert has also received the Humanitarian Leadership Award from the National Hospice Foundation in recognition for her work on behalf of children facing life-limiting conditions.  

The Signature Luncheon is Tidewell’s annual fundraising event to help fund the services it provides to more than 9,000 patients annually, regardless of their ability to pay. For more information, click here.